


The Feeling of Falling

by SparkleCupcake



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Frisk And Reader Are Related, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Reader Joins Frisk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-22 18:40:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11386092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkleCupcake/pseuds/SparkleCupcake
Summary: When you hurried out to find your sleepwalking cousin, you never expected to have to go so far. To be honest, you weren't certain that this wasn't a drug-fueled hallucination. But you had to keep going, even if it meant following Frisk into certain danger. Did this count as a summer job?Second-person fic with a named main character. The plan is for Sans/Reader but I honestly don't know where this is going to go. Title is also subject to change.





	1. Sleepwalker

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there. This isn't an update to Just to be a Good Neighbor or at all related, but it is an idea I've had floating around for a while that I'd like to see how far I get with. As always, updates will be sporadic. Thanks for reading!   
> The majority of Flowey's dialogue in this chapter is from the game, of course.

It felt like you’d been asleep for weeks. You rolled over and reached down for your phone. Only 5:30- but you were wide awake. You’d had strange, unsettling dreams and you didn’t want them to continue. Besides, soon your cousin would be up and they would bother you for breakfast.  _ Finally getting the one-up on them _ , you thought to yourself with a satisfied smile. You pulled your hair back and threw on a pair of sweats, ready to face the morning. It was going to be a long day.

It turned out you hadn’t gotten a step ahead of them at all- Frisk had sleepwalked out of the house again. The doctors had said the new medication would make them sleep heavily, and that had been true for the first few weeks- just long enough for you and your mom to hope they were cured. It just wasn’t safe, having a seven-year-old sleepwalk. Last night was the first night that both you and your mother had slept the whole night, believing Frisk would sleep too. It’d been the first full night of sleep you’d had all summer.

Your mother, bitter about having to keep an eye on Frisk and wake every few hours, had enlisted you to stay up part of the night to watch for them. You’d stay up late on your computer or phone, and your mom would get up extra early to get ready for work. You didn’t mind- it was summer and it wasn’t like you had a job. Not to mention, helping her out meant your mom didn’t bother you quite as much about finding one.

It had been a while since Frisk had gotten out; luckily, they always went the same way. Out the back and into the woods towards Mount Ebott. You yanked on your sneakers and shot a text to your mom about what had happened as you stumbled out the door. You called out for Frisk a few times and walked out of the yard and into the woods. When it seemed clear that they had gone further, you started to jog. _At least I’m getting my cardio_ _in._

You had to slow down when you reached the mountain and the terrain got tricky, but speed-walked while calling out for them every few minutes and looking around desperately. They’d never gotten this far before. It took you nearly half an hour to catch up to them and you were out of breath but managed to bark out a “Frisk!” 

They didn’t notice you. You’d learned that waking up sleepwalkers wasn’t really that detrimental but still felt a little nervous trying to yell at them more. You decided to just grab them. As you finally caught up to them, they blinked a little and woke. 

“You’re not supposed to be here, Jess.” They looked pissed at you- like they had any right to be, leading you up a fucking mountain at the crack of dawn!

“And you are? Frisk, look around. You made me jog up Ebott at six in the morning. C’mon, let’s go home. I don’t want you to get hurt, kid.” You managed to mask your irritation, but just barely. They shook their head.

“I can’t. I have to do this. I need to go back,” Frisk pleaded. They took a few steps further up the mountain and stared ahead of them with purpose.

“Back where, Frisk? You need to be going back to your bed!” You chased after them, determined to sweep them up. They weren’t too big for you to do that yet. They took a deep breath and just before you caught them, leaning forward to grab them, they dropped out of your line of vision. But only for as long as it took for you to overbalance and fall down the hole after them. You screamed and the last thing you saw before you blacked out was a shimmering light.

You woke in a bed of golden flowers after you weren’t sure how long. It seemed you’d dropped after Frisk into a dimly lit cave. No matter how you strained your eyes staring upward, you couldn’t see where you had fallen down from or the source of the light. You were truly lucky for the patch of flowers and plush grass you’d landed in though- the rest of your surroundings were hard and somewhat jagged rocks. If Frisk had landed on them… But where were they? That got you up and shaking yourself off and running. There was only one way to go- further in. Hopefully you’d find them and a way out or somewhere to get service and call the cops.

They must have woken just before you did, because you found them a few seconds later. They were perched over a flower, murmuring to it. Had they hit their head? You reached out to grab their shoulder but they jerked away and you heard an eerie laugh. You earnestly hoped that wasn’t Frisk. You and your mother had always known there was something not quite right about them, but thought it was due to the years they’d had before they were adopted. Frisk’s mom had been…  _ Problematic _ . At least, that’s how your mother put it when trying to describe the situation to outsiders. In your opinion, problematic didn’t cover the half of it. You preferred a much different wording. A harsh jerk to your chest brought you out of thought before you could say it to yourself for the millionth time.

“You’re new here too, aren’t you?” You glanced around worriedly before someone -something- coughed slightly and you looked down. A fucking talking flower. Golden, like the ones you’d landed on. Alright, maybe you’d hit your head too. It’s face- a phrase too surreal for you to really process - sat in the middle of its petals and it looked smug. 

“Er, sure, hallucination. Yeah, I’m new to this hole in the earth.” You were absolutely certain that soon you’d wake up in a hospital bed. Or maybe you’d taken something a little too potent. 

“Well, that’s okay! I don’t mind helping two newbies instead of one! I’m Flowey, Flowey the Flower. And if you’d look down at yourself…” You looked down and felt a scream catch in your throat. It was a strange floating heart. Frisk had a red one in front of them and looked completely nonplussed. Yours was purple and it glowed from the inside and you were terrified.

“See that heart? That’s your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Your SOUL starts out weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of…” You couldn’t focus on Flowey, you were too shocked staring at it. That eggplant-colored thing was who you were? All that you’d become? And it was hanging out in the open? You could move it around, although what muscle you used you couldn’t say. Your hands shook. You almost wanted to take a picture of it, but you knew you had to be tripping. This was too surreal to be anything else but a bad trip.

“Down here, LOVE is shared through… Little white… uh, friendliness pellets,” Flowey continued, inattentive of your inattention. It was surrounded by strange seeds that also floated in the air. They looked like bullets and made you nervous to the core.

“Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can. Go on, you two.” Frisk stayed still and you kept moving but tried to avoid the pellets. There was something wrong about them. They collided with Frisk’s SOUL with a thunk and they cringed next to you.

“ **You idiot** . In this world, it’s kill or BE killed. Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this?” Your hunch had been right but you were anything but happy about it. Flowey surrounded your SOULs with bullets and tears started to come into your eyes. You were ready to wake up and when you did, you weren’t going to touch any mind-altering substances ever again.

“ **Die** .” It released another unearthly cackle and you reached out to hold Frisk’s hand as the bullets moved in, your SOULs nearly touching in an attempt to stay away. You hadn’t been nice enough to them. It wasn’t their fault they had so many issues, or that you and your mother had to accommodate them after their adoption. You were 21 and very spoiled. But neither of you deserved to die here. You weren’t ready to face the end.

And you wouldn’t have to. A white fireball threw Flowey aside and just as the bullets were to hit you, they disappeared. Your savior had arrived and she was a big bundle of white fur and purple robes. Yep, you were fully prepared to quit the drugs.


	2. Not-So-Smooth Talker

The goat woman (at least, you thought she was a goat) glanced between your two SOULs nervously before clearing her throat and saying in a beautiful smooth voice, “What a terrible creature, torturing such poor, innocent youths… Ah, do not be afraid, my children. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins.”

“I’m Jess, and this is Frisk. Frisk stumbled and we’re trying to find our way back out,” you stammered in return.  _ If this is even real and I’m not high out of my mind or bleeding out in a cave somewhere, _ you added silently.

“I don’t know about out, but I can certainly guide you through the catacombs. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. And today, there were two! You are the first humans to come here in a very long time. You can ask me questions as we walk. This way.” She turned and walked out and through a smooth stone doorway you hadn’t previously noticed. Frisk followed, not even bothering to see if you were too. You’d have to talk to them once you got out of this strange place. They were sassing you far too much.

As you brought up the rear, a massive archway loomed before you. Frisk’s fist clenched and you just yourself tense up. You’d get through this, no matter what. Toriel explained that the Ruins were full of puzzles and you tuned her out a bit, glancing around for whatever planned to kill you next. There was a plaque on the wall that didn’t make you feel any better. You still weren’t completely certain you could trust Toriel, but at least she hadn’t overtly attacked you yet. You followed behind Frisk into a long hallway.

“To progress here, you need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labeled the ones you need to flip. And do keep up, child,” Toriel said with a tone of impatience. She and Frisk had been waiting for you while you moved slowly, inspecting everything. To make up for it, you hurried to flip the switches while she walked through the room. 

“Splendid! I am proud of you, young one. Let’s move into the next room.” Again, she didn’t even look to see if you were following her and neither did Frisk. You supposed they knew you couldn’t really go any other way. The next room was empty with the exception of a beat-up dummy.

“As humans in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict.” Toriel smiled brightly, as though that was adequate protection.

“But… Ma’am… What happens if you’re not around to protect one or both of us? Surely you can’t be around all the time,” you stammered. Surely, she couldn’t stay with you until you found a way out. Frisk didn’t seem to think so, as they stared at you like you were an idiot. 

“Do not worry child, I’ll always be there to protect you,” Toriel simpered. She seriously believed that? And what’s with the “child” thing? Sure, you were a bit small for your age but you looked like an adult, especially next to Frisk. You were starting to get pissed off. It was bad enough that you’d had to follow Frisk into this place to begin with- and now you were being patronized by an anthropomorphic giant goat?

“I’m not a child. Please don’t call me one.” As the words left your mouth, you felt more immature than you ever had in your life. You may not be a child, but you could still act like one. You tried to stand your ground, even as you blushed.

“Well, Jess,” Toriel nearly spat out, an edge creeping into her voice, “I thought you would appreciate having protection here through the Ruins but I can leave if you would like. I’ll let you protect Frisk, since you were doing such an excellent job when I found you. Please do not let me encroach upon your maturity, human.”

“No, I’m sorry. I appreciate your help. This is just so new and strange to me, and I don’t know what Frisk and I are going to do.” You were such an asshole. You stared at your feet as you followed Toriel silently through several rooms until she stopped at the end of a long corridor. 

“Unfortunately, I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. I would suggest you remain here, as it is dangerous to explore by yourself.” Her tone was neutral but you still felt guilty. You had looked the gift goat right in the mouth. You checked your cell phone, trying to find service. Maybe you could call 911 while she was gone and get someone to lower a rope for the two of you. No luck.

“That reminds me. I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be safe, alright?” She handed the phone to Frisk, who pocketed it, and headed further into the Ruins without saying anything to you. Frisk waited all of five minutes before they set off in the same direction. Of course you couldn’t just chill out in the weird purple room with the Roman columns and wait for Toriel to reappear. Not allowed on this magical mystery ride.

“Frisk, what are you doing? She just said it was dangerous and you know that I can’t do shit,” you hissed into their ear as you followed after nervously. So far, you hadn’t encountered anyone, although some frogs stared at you oddly as you passed. They’d ducked into a room and grabbed a handful of hard candy before turning around and moving smoothly through stone hallways with the occasional pile of dead leaves. The crinkle reminded you of diving into freshly raked leaves as a child, and you decided that you would do it this fall when you got out of this place. Not if, when.  _ I can get through this. _

Toriel had called Frisk almost seconds after they left the room. You couldn’t hear what she said, and Frisk didn’t seem in a hurry to fill you in, so you assumed it wasn’t important. You followed them even as they jumped down a hole and scurried up old, slightly crumbled stairs. They seemed to know where they were going, somehow, and you weren’t about to question it. Anywhere you could potentially find cell phone service was fine with you.

You entered a room with some stone switches and Frisk began pushing one when a frog the size they were jumped up to you and you felt your SOUL yank out of your chest. You supposed this was retribution for the multiple dissections through your years in school. 

“Heh, hey buddy. How you doing?” You were terrified but you didn’t feel like you could just attack it. And what would you hit it with anyway?

“Ribbit.” Flies that looked like bullets started to swarm near your SOUL and you flexed that unknown muscle, moving away. It didn’t seem like talking would do shit for you, and without Toriel around to light it on fire, you supposed you had to do something. You ran over nervously and kicked the frog in it’s face with all the force you could muster. It exploded into slightly shimmering dust which your SOUL almost seemed to absorb, growing shinier. It returned to your chest as you watched Frisk talk a rock into sitting on a switch so you could pass over some spikes. This was a strange world, for sure, but exploding the frog had filled you with a strange confidence that you could survive. Maybe you would protect Frisk and get home after all. 


End file.
